The Jewels of the North - the Extraordinary Diamond Circle in North Iceland

In North Iceland, you will find many of the jewels in Iceland's nature. In this travel-blog I am going to show you the amazing sights on the Diamond Circle tour, which includes many of the Jewels of the North. 

The Diamond Circle is one of 3 Jewel Tours of Iceland - in the south, we have the Golden Circle, which is the most popular of them all, and in the west, we have the Silver Circle.

On the Diamond Circle tour you will visit the following spectacular sights:

Goðafoss

Mývatn

Námafjall geothermal area

Dettifoss the most powerful waterfall in Iceland

Hljóðaklettar Echo Rocks 

Ásbyrgi, my favourite place in Iceland

Tjörnes 

Húsavík the whale-watching capital of North Iceland

Top photo: Dettifoss waterfall

Goðafoss waterfall

Goðafoss waterfall

Our first stop on the Diamond Circle is at the historical Goðafoss waterfall. Goðafoss waterfall is one of the best-known waterfalls in Iceland. It has a drop of 12 meters and a width of 30 meters.

Goðafoss is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the 180- kilometres-long glacial and spring water river, Skjálfandafljót, Iceland's 4th longest river.

Further up the river, you will see the elegant Aldeyjarfoss waterfall
By Goðafoss waterfall

The name Goðafoss - Pagan Gods' Falls stems from back when the conversion to Christianity was made in Iceland in the year 1000.

Þorgeir ljósvetningagoði, the ex-pagan chieftain, right after returning from Alþingi Parliament where the conversion was made, is said to have thrown his statues of the pagan Norse gods into the waterfall.

We don't have a source for this, but it has been passed down from generation to generation in oral history.

I have written a detailed travel-blog about Goðafoss if you want to know more about this beautiful waterfall:

The Historical Goðafoss Waterfall in Skjálfandafljót River in North Iceland

Lake Mývatn

Lake Mývatn

The second stop is a photo stop by the lava pillars by Lake Mývatn where we stopped for 5-10 minutes. Lake Mývatn is Iceland's 4th largest lake and was created in a basaltic lava eruption 2,300 years ago.

The surrounding landscape in the Mývatn area is extraordinary. I took the video below by Skútustaðagígar pseudocraters, one of the many sights at Mývatn.

There are so many wonderful lava formations in this area, including the lava pillars by and in Lake Mývatn and Dimmuborgir.

Skútustaðagígar pseudocraters

On the Diamond Circle, there are so many sights that you cannot stop but for a short time at Mývatn. To enjoy it to the fullest a day tour of Mývatn is recommended: top Mývatn tours.

I wrote another travel-blog about: A Day Tour of the wonderful Sights in the Mývatn Area.

See also my travel-blogs about Mývatn, I must have written more than 10 travel-blogs about this wonderful place:

The amazing Mývatn & Krafla Area in North Iceland - a Compilation of the wonderful Sights

The amazing Mývatn Area in North Iceland - Part I.

Mt. Námafjall and the boiling mud pools

At Hverarönd

Our third stop is at Námafjall and the high-temperature area, Hverir geothermal area.  

Here the whole area is boiling and bubbling - it is for sure a part of Iceland that looks like you have landed on the moon.

This high-temperature geothermal area is often referred to as Hell's Kitchen, as it is boiling and steaming and emitting an overwhelming smell of sulfur caused by the steam and the fumarole gas. 

Alone at the Hverir geothermal area by Mt. Námafjall

I have joined a guided tour that included this area and written a travel-blog about it:

A wonderful Day of exploring the extraordinary Mývatn Area in North Iceland

And here is the travel-blog that I wrote about this amazing area:

Mývatn in North-Iceland - Part IV - Mt. Námafjall, Krafla & Leirhnjúkur Geothermal Areas

Dettifoss waterfall

Dettifoss waterfall

Our fourth stop is on the western side of the breathtaking Dettifoss waterfall. There is a 10-minute walk down to the waterfall, and I can assure you that it will take your breath away.

Dettifoss is Iceland's most powerful waterfall - a massive roaring wall of glacial water. It is 100 meters wide and 45 meters tall!

Dettifoss from the west bank

Dettifoss is situated in the glacial river, Jökulsá á Fjöllum, which is the second-longest river in Iceland.

The water in glacial rivers is milky white and greyish - and ice-cold, so let's be careful here.

I have joined 2 tours of the Diamond Circle, one that was a fully guided tour and another one where there was limited guidance. I would always recommend fully guided tours to our foreign visitors.

Dettifoss as seen from the east bank - the mist is massive

The glacial river originates in the Vatnajökull glacier, which is Iceland's largest glacier and Europe's largest ice cap by volume.

Hljóðaklettar - Echo Rocks

Hljóðaklettar

After visiting Dettifoss we drive further north into the Jökulsárgljúfur glacial canyon and make our fifth stop by the extraordinary Hljóðaklettar - Echo Rocks. Here a whole valley of extraordinary rock formation opens up.

These peculiar rock formations, some of which are standing right in the middle of the massive Jökulsá á Fjöllum glacial river, are volcanic plugs that have been eroded by the massive glacial river.

Jökulsá á Fjöllum glacial river runs from Dettifoss and Vatnajökull glacier, leaving only these extraordinary volcanic plugs behind.

Basalt columns in Hljóðaklettar

I always feel like I have entered another world while walking on the trails that lead through the extraordinary rock and basalt column formations of Hljóðaklettar. 

I especially like the hike to Rauðhólar - Red Hills. If you want to include various hikes in your Hljóðaklettar visit then I would recommend staying for the night in Hljóðaklettar.

There is a popular camping area here. Or you can stay in the vicinity and make the Diamond Circle a 3-day tour f.ex., maybe more.

I count hiking in Hljóðaklettar among my favourite hikes in Iceland, and have written about them in my travel-blog about the sights in the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon.

The extraordinary Hljóðaklettar – Echo Rocks in Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon

Ásbyrgi

Botsntjörn pond in Ásbyrgi

We make our sixth stop in my all-time favourite place in Iceland, Ásbyrgi, the Capital City of the Icelandic Elves.

The most beautiful (in my opinion) part of Ásbyrgi, is the serene Botnstjörn pond. There is an easy walk (0.8 km) to the pond from the parking lot.

This pond is what is left of a big waterfall that once cascaded from the cliffs and it is unbelievably peaceful here.

I can tell you that in my eyes this pond and the surrounding cliffs are out of this world and I could stay here for hours, which I have done many times during my camping trips to Ásbyrgi.

Then I go to Botnstjörn pond in the middle of the night and stay by the serene pond alone. As in the daytime, there are many visitors in Ásbyrgi and some of them want to try the echo by the pond...

Beautiful Botnstjörn pond

Ásbyrgi belongs to Vatnajökull National Park and is 3.5 km in length and 1.1 km across with walls as high as 100 meters. 

I have written another travel-blog about Ásbyrgi, which includes a hike on the rim of Ásbyrgi with beautiful views:

The beautiful Ásbyrgi Canyon and Botnstjörn Pond in North-East Iceland

Tjörnes peninsula

A puffin at Tjörnes

Our eighth stop is at Tjörnes peninsula to visit the puffins - but you can spot them here from April until mid-August.

I love this beautiful bird with the colourful beak.  And I have noticed that our foreign visitors are also eager to spot a puffin.

The puffin is such a cute bird

The puffin is so popular that it has become the unofficial symbol of Iceland and our tourist shops are called "lundabúðir" or puffin shops as they sell so many variations of the puffins :)

See also my travel-blog: 

A breathtaking View from Hringsbjarg Cliff on Tjörnes Peninsula in North Iceland

Húsavík - the Whale Watching Capital of Iceland

Húsavíkurkirkja church

Our ninth and last stop on the Diamond Circle is at my beloved Húsavik, which has been called the whale-watching capital of Iceland. Húsavík is the birthplace of my grandmother and her 14 siblings.

My great-grandfather built 2 of the beautiful houses in Húsavík, one of which is the parish house today next to the church.

In Húsavík you will find one of the most beautiful churches in Iceland, if not the most beautiful one, built in 1907.

Bjarnahús and Bjarnabúð houses in Húsavík built by my great-grandfather Bjarni and his father

I have written much more about Húsavík in my travel-blog: 

Húsavík - The Whale Watching Capital of Iceland

Do consider staying here at Húsavík for the night if you are doing the Diamond Circle on your own and not on a guided tour.

Here you can see various accommodation in Húsavík: the best accommodation in Húsavík.

Beautiful Akureyri in the sun

If you have been joining a guided tour of the Diamond Circle then it ends in Akureyri town, from where we had started, at 7:30 in the morning. A lovely tour, highly recommended if you want to see the highlights of the north in one day. 

I joined this tour again with a different travel company a couple of years later, and have written another travel-blog about the Spectacular Diamond Circle in North Iceland. 

I have driven the Diamond Circle many times myself through the years and never get tired of it and always look forward to exploring it again.

Visiting Dettifoss from the east bank - on the bumpy road 864

Check out the available Diamond Circle tours:

8-Hour Diamond Circle Minibus Tour in North Iceland with Transfer from Akureyri

Unforgettable 9-hour 4x4 Diamond Circle Small Group Day Tour from Akureyri or Lake Myvatn

Private 10-Hour Sightseeing Tour of the Diamond Circle with Transfer from Akureyri

Diamond Circle Flying Tour in North Iceland

I would recommend taking the longest tour on offer, but it all depends on how much time you have in this area.

You can also rent a car in Reykjavík or Akureyri and venture into the ruggedly beautiful Jökulsárgljúfur glacial canyon by yourself.

Just take into account that road 864 is a very bumpy gravel road, so take the paved road 862.

I created this map to show you the main stops on the Diamond Circle

This is a summer visit only - unless you travel with a local guide.

Have a wonderful time exploring the Diamond Circle of Iceland :)